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Data is the lifeblood of business today, and it’s not easy digging through it to uncover insightful, actionable intelligence. That’s one result from a survey of 600 IT decision-makers in large U.S., Canadian and Western European organizations. The “Digitization at Work” report from Xerox shows the move from paper to digital processes is nearly upon us, however, many survey respondents admit they may not be ready for it.

The report found broad concern over paper-based processes, with cost (42 per cent) and security (42 per cent) cited as primary issues. Forty per cent of Canadian respondents said cost reduction was the prime reason for digitization followed by improved data collection at 33 per cent. Survey respondents predicted an average of only nine per cent of key business operation processes will run on paper in the next two years.

But more than half (55 per cent) of the respondents admit their organizations’ processes are still largely or entirely paper-based, and about one third (29 per cent) are still communicating with end customers via paper, rather than email or social channels.

“Organizations foresee a lean and agile digital future, but current business processes are still weighed down by paper,” said Andy Jones, vice-president, workflow automation, large enterprise operations, Xerox. “The disconnect between an organization’s vision and the steps required to achieve successful digital transformation has stalled the promise of digitization.”

The survey also found that 41 per cent of respondents agree that moving to digital workflows will cut organizational costs, and 87 per cent appear to have the skill sets available to make this happen.